Anus

For those who do not know, Vocab101 is my daily attempt to find a new and interesting word which could potentially be used in everyday circumstances. The words I find range from the obscene, to the unbelievably true (which are hyperlinked in blue) and, of course, the colloquial. Thus, Hans’ Milieu now has a ‘Wordy Wednesday’.

Each Hans’ Milieu edition of Vocab101 will take place on Wordy Wednesdays and will contain all the words I have tweeted over the course of one week from the previous Vocab101 session (7 days, 7 new words). Furthermore, each Hans’ Milieu edition of Vocab101 will contain additional new words which did not make the original cut, but are just as tantalising/disturbing!

Gymnophoria– The word used to describe the sensation that someone is mentally undressing you.

Pisshap – A mishap which generally involves the mass consumption of alcohol and an unfortunate misdirection of urine.

Autotonsorialist – Someone who cuts his/her own hair without the aid of another individual.

Laatlammetjie – An Afrikaans word that loosely translates as ‘late lamb’. It is a word that is often used to describe those unexpected and unplanned bundles of joy, which are gifted to couples that are often past their child rearing prime.

Mulligrubs – A state of depression or low spirits which results in the act of sulking.

I do hope that you enjoyed this edition of Vocab101 and that you will return for some more Vocab101-isms in the near future… but wait, there is more!

Last week an author known as Adam Jacot de Boinod stumbled upon Hans’ Milieu and discovered my Wordy Wednesday: ‘Vocab101’ posts. Coincidentally, Adam also has a penchant for excavating and using extraordinary words:

Adam Jacot de Boinod, hunter of perfect and obscure bon mots, is a true linguistic bowerbird (a person who collects an astonishing array of – sometimes useless – objects). He trawled the languages of the world for exotic specimens in his bestselling book The Meaning of Tingo and hit follow-up Toujours Tingo and has now turned his attention to his mother tongue in The Wonder of Whiffling.

Knowing that we both have an uncanny affinity for obtuse and entertaining words, Adam introduced himself to me and his current work in progress, The Wonder of Whiffling:

The Wonder of Whiffling is a tour of English around the globe (with fine coinages from our English-speaking cousins across the pond, Down Under and elsewhere).

Discover all sorts of words you’ve always wished existed but never knew, such as fornale, to spend one’s money before it has been earned; cagg, a solemn vow or resolution not to get drunk for a certain time; and petrichor, the pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.

Discover why it is you wouldn’t want to have dinner with a vice admiral of the narrow seas, why Jacobites toasted the little gentleman in black velvet, and why a Nottingham Goodnight is better than one from anywhere else.

About me

Hi, I'm Hans. A Ludologist by education; writer, marketer and ecommerce curator by trade; foodie by nature; and a tech, gadget and gamer geek in my spare time. This blog is where I share my personal thoughts on almost everything and anything.